Insulting and harming a Muslim

Insulting a Muslim unjustly is forbidden according to the consensus of the nation. Many scholars declared it as a major sin and its doer is a lewd.

It came in the Hadith which reported by Al Bukhari on the authority of `Abdullah ibn Mas`ud (may Allah be pleased with him) who said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Abusing a Muslim is Fusuq (an evil doing) and killing him is Kufr (disbelief)."

* Al Bayhaqy reported on the authority of Ali ibn Abu Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) that he was asked about the saying of a man to another: "O dissolute," "O wicked," he said: They are filthy acts which require discretionary punishment, but they do not entail a prescribed punishment." [Irwa' Al Ghalil: No. 2393].

* Imam An-Nawawy (may Allah bestow mercy on his soul) said as was reported in his book Al Adhkar (p. 314): "Of the dispraised words that are usually used by a person to his opponents: O donkey, O he-goat, O dog, and suchlike, this is ugly from two points: First, it is mere lie; second, it is a kind of harm.

* An-Nakh`y said:

When a man says to another: O donkey, O pig," it will be said to him on the Day of Resurrection: Have you seen Me creating him in the form of a donkey? Have you seen Me creating him in the form of a pig?

* The condition and penalty of those who insult Muslims:

1- An insulter exposes himself to destruction:

Al Bazzar reported on the authority of `Abdullah ibn `Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Abusing a Muslim is like the one who is approaching destruction." [Sahih Al Jami`: 3586].

The meaning is: Insulting and harming Muslims is like those who subject themselves to destruction, approaching harm, and drawing nearer to torment.

2- An insulter is like a rebellious devil:

Imam Ahmad and Al Bukhari reported in Al AdabAl Mufrad, and Ibn Hibban on the authority of `Iyad ibn Himar (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: "I said: O Allah's Prophet!  A man insults me while he is in lower rank, is there any harm on me to avenge my right? The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Those who insult one another are devils [1] who accuse one another falsely[2] and tell lies. [3]" [Sahih Al Jami`: 6696].

3- An insulter comes on the Day of Resurrection broken of good deeds:

Imam Muslim reported from the Hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Do you know who is poor? He was told, "The poor among us, O Messenger of Allah, is he who has no dirham and no possessions." He said: "The poor of my nation is one who comes on the Day of Resurrection with Salah and fasting and zakat, but also comes with abuses (he has hurled) on this one, accusations on that one, devouring of some property, blood of someone, slaying of another. So he sits and loses this piety (to someone) and that piety (to another) so that when e his good deeds are finished before he has paid off what is against him of sins, he carries their sins thrown to him till he is cast into the fire."

4- An insulter enters Hell-Fire:

Imam Ahmad and Ibn Hibban reported on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: "A man said: O Messenger of Allah, so and so (mentioning her abundant Salah, fasting, and charity, but she used to harm her neighbors with her tongue) . He said: She is in Hell-Fire. He said: O Messenger of Allah, so and so (mentioning her few fasting, charity and Salah, but she used to give in charity with pieces of (dried whole milk) and does not harm her neighbors with her tongue. He said: She will enter Paradise."

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[1] Two devils i.e., wicked who incite rivalries and aversion. Abu `Ubaydah said: Shaytan is the name of every dissolute of jinn, humans, and animals. Allah (may He be Exalted) says: "And so We have appointed for every Prophet enemies - Shayâtîn (devils) among mankind and jinn, inspiring one another with adorned speech as a delusion (or by way of deception)." [Surat Al An`am: 112].

[2] Who accuse one another falsely: They use foul language like the Hadith of Ibn `Umar who said: "I seek refuge in You from the careless" who use obscene language. It was said: The meaning is those who do not care what they are saying or those who are careless about the world.

[3] Deliberately lie.